Friends in Lower Alabama - Friends in Low Places

It has been nearly a year now when I returned from a month long stay in Orange Beach and WB's first stroke. There seems to be little to remind us of last years oil spill except a still struggling global economy, a new Tacky Jacks and an elevator in the FloraBama. Because the people there, my people, are the same. Still shuttling kids from beach to pool, cooking ribs, selling real estate, sipping Cobalt mojitos, the smell of Australian Gold #8, spotting a few dolphins in Old River....as if time stood still.

A last minute decision to take Sheri up on a few days off to soak up some sun to soothe my ailments took only a few seconds to make. I have needed a respite for months and didn't really believe I would head south until it happened. Matter of fact, I left home with only an eighth of a tank of gas needing an oil change and half of my clothes still hanging on the ironing board when I arrived. Suppose it is much like a kid thinking that if you didn't act upon the opportunity, it may dissipate altogether. That whole unorganized scene is so not me, but was cured by a Target drive-by and two $10 tanks. Problem solved.

For some reason, I needed everyone's permission, when it was truly only my permission that was required. Worried that the girls may have issues while I was away, I adjusted the medications and threw caution to the wind. Then instead of traveling the normal five miles above the speed limit, it was slow and steady to the sea. The added hour alone gave me time to begin wrapping my arms around many decisions that have been laying scattered around my plate over the past several months. Amazing what happens when you're in the car, alone.

Leaving the beach yesterday with invites from friends to stay longer, I had to decline. The pull of home and what WB may be thinking about me being away were too strong. I had promised he and the girls only two days away and felt that he needed to be secure knowing that he should expect me back as planned.

It was amazing to me last night that within just a few hours of being here how quickly my nerves began to unravel. Calm, cool and a little sunburned upon arrival, then a ball of anxiety by the time I got him fed and ready for bed. Selfishly, I want to repack. Honestly, those two days probably bought me another month of endurance.

Today, the hardest decision I will make is what kind of padlock to put on the pantry. WB is trying to eat himself to death and today took snacks to the basement in an effort to hide from me. I want him to eat if he's hungry, but this has now gotten out of hand. Looks like another trip to the doctors office. Who knew this would become a problem? It certainly isn't in any Alzheimer's policy and procedure handbook I've come across.


A special thanks to my friends who think enough of me to make a effort to include me in their family vacation time. They know that I love the sea and our white sandy beaches. And I know, that they are my friends, forever, in low places.....

My name is Rhonda Brantley and my husband, Billy Ray Brantley, suffers from Early Onset Alzheimer's Dementia. This is the best shot we have at documenting daily living.

Say It Ain't So

Having purchased this book twice in two separate editions,  both have completely disappeared from this house. It was recommended to me immediately upon WB's diagnosis and probably prematurely. People can tell you what happens with AD patients, but you really do not realize it in it's entirety until you're living it or living with it. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's begins to define everything in your life and in the lives of everyone watching as it completely takes over.

Having never recommended The 36-Hour Day to friends and family before, now's your chance to pick up a used copy somewhere. It really does not matter which edition, the scope is the same.

Believing we can find humor to deflect reality is just my style so naturally I have been putting off the inevitable as if saying it out loud or writing it down would make it a more reliable statement of fact.

I picked up 'say it ain't so' from a friend of mine many years ago. After some remarkable comment,  she would always reply, "Say it ain't so" and I would laugh out loud. Now, I fear that saying it out loud will make it so, therefore I have been putting off having this conversation with myself , much less others. To write it must mean it is so, so here we go.....

WB's condition has taken another dive over the last couple of months. Normally, I do not recognize subtle day to day changes, but lately they have been overall significant.

Speech for him has been troublesome and for the last several years he has communicated in questions.

Up until just recently we could figure it out, read his mind or finish his sentences. With very limited two-way conversations these days, I am  keeping my sentences short and am presenting my questions to him that allow one word answers. The Alzheimer's is definitely damaging the pathways in his brain, now, making it difficult for WB to find the right words and to understand what we are saying. He regularly substitutes words for others and invents entirely new words altogether.

For a long while, WB would have days where he would call his friends from his cell phone to chat about this and that. The pattern is, he will call them and try to get a few words in and then hand the phone to me. His last call to one friend ended in great frustration. Recently, more frustrating for the friend than for WB when he shouted at me, "Rhonda, I just cannot understand what Billy Ray is saying!" Most days, I try and hide the phone.

Reminded by a friend of mine that it is some days like communicating with a toddler. Do not tell him we are going to do something or that we are expecting someone too soon or you will be queried on it non-stop until it happens.

I also remember being able to tell him to slow down and it will come. Now, it doesn't come at all.

At home, the girls and I are constantly transitioning to accommodate, and the car leaves the garage less and less. He seems content to loiter around shuffling his feet waiting on his next meal or snack. Where he would once watch a hunting and fishing show for hours, there is less interest and this must be that he is no longer processing it. 

Sitting down in the basement garage in front of the fan is something he has always enjoyed and it just hit me recently when going through old family photos that it was something his mother and daddy did as well. Finding his new respite on the back porch, I realize he is wanting to venture out, but is  still staying even closer to the back door.

That said, we will work next week on making the back porch more accommodating for him.  Existing furniture moved out, and something more comfortable moved in, perhaps fans and a new umbrella. Whatever it takes. We have already moved the bird bath out back and the new bird feeder is ready to hang.

WB is now living the 36-hour day ~ so we are going to just settle in and live it with him for awhile.

My name is Rhonda Brantley and my husband, Billy Ray Brantley. suffers from Early Onset Alzheimer's Dementia. This is the best shot we have at documenting daily living.

Poligrip and Fixodent Linked to Alzheimer's

When poking around about early onset Alzheimer's Dementia, I was reminded about something I read some three years ago. It wasn't until today that we learned that both Poligrip and Fixodent had high levels of Zinc which penetrated the soft tissue of the gum, leading to all sorts of unexplained health issues including neuropathy, tingling in hands and feet, weakness in lower extremities, misdiagnosed MS, MD, Parkinson's Disease and a host of other life threatening ailments.

Well now, WB has worn dentures since he was in his twenties that required the above to keep them in place. Symptoms of neuropathy are weakness in the lower extremities and problems with ankle pain (he's had ankle reconstruction) problems with numbness, tingling and pain in the arms (he's had nerve blocks and complains daily with this) decline in motor function (check), confusion (check), abnoral high blood pressure (check, check, check) allergies (check) masked Alzheimer's and Parkinson's?

WHOA. Could all of these symptoms for the past 30 plus years been in relationship to Zinc poisoning from using teeth glue in mass quantity for years and years and years?

On February 18, 2010 Glaxo Smith Kline announced that it plans to stop selling a number of Poligrip denture cream products and also plans to remove the ingredient Zinc from its existing denture cream product line. The announcement was reported by the Associated Press amid a growing number of lawsuits claiming that Zinc caused neurological damage and blood problems in denture cream users.

I intend to investigate this more and report my findings AFTER I contact our attorney about the lawsuits being filed against Glaxo Smith Kline and Proctor and Gamble. If you have any questions beforehand, let me know. Would be glad to share the info.

From an excerpt in WebMd:

“Zinc had previously been shown to contribute to the formation of plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, so it was logical for us to test the idea that zinc might also contribute to the formation of plaque-like drusen in the eye as well. AMD can be considered as the Alzheimer’s disease of the eye, in that both involve the build-up of proteins and metals like zinc and copper into microscopic clumps.

Know the 10 Signs of Alzheimer's

10 Signs of Alzheimer's Disease